Large Scale International Boundaries (LSIB), Africa and the Americas, 2012

This line shapefile contains country boundaries for Africa and American continents. Large Scale International Boundaries (LSIB) are created and maintained by the Department of State's Office of the Geographer. The lines reflect U.S. government (USG) policy and thus not necessarily de facto control. The LSIB has no known errors in boundary location of over 4 km, and is generally accurate to within a kilometer or less. The boundary line depiction research (“recovery” of the authoritative location of the line) has been done over the past decade or so by geographers at State and colleagues from other agencies, and is based on modern imagery, elevation data, relevant maps, treaties, international arbitration and court rulings, and other sources. The LSIB is believed to be the most accurate worldwide (non-Europe, non-US) international boundary vector line file available. The LSIB is frequently updated. The mission of the Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU) is to serve as a U.S. Government interagency center to identify, collect, analyze, and disseminate all-source information critical to U.S. Government decision-makers and partners in preparation for and response to humanitarian emergencies worldwide, and to promote innovative technologies and best practices for humanitarian information management.